Hydraulic testing system



F. HENNEBOHLE.

HYDRAULIC TESTING SYSTEM.

APPLlCATION FILED SEPTA, 1917.

Fatented Feb. 8, 1921.

3 'SHEETSSHEET 1.-

F. HENNEBGHLE.

HYDRAULIC TESTING SYSTEM. APPLTCATION FILED SEPT. 4. 1917.

1,368,147, Patented Feb. 8, 1921 3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

IIT'IIIV V -F. HENNEBOHLE.

HYDRAULIC TESTING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 4.1917.

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UNITED STATES FRANK HENNEBfiI-ILE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HYDRAULIC TESTING SYSTEM.

Application filed September 4, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK HENNEB'QHLE,

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic Testing Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In its general aspects, my invention relates to hydraulic testing systems and apparatus for use with the same, its general objects being to provide unusually simple, positive, automatic and eliective means for obtaining any desired range of pressures,

7 plugging up the ends of the same, for automatically connecting the bore of the valve to the pressure when the valve is eitectively clamped, and for automatically disconnecting the valve from the pressure when desired. In another aspect, my invention aims to provide means for initially supplyinga liquid at any available low pressure to a press or the like, forusing the pressure of the said liquid to produce an intensified liquid pressure, and for automatically changing the press connection from the low pressure to the high pressure liquid. In still another aspect, my invention relates to a combination low and high pressure valve in which the connections are automatically altered when predetermined pressure conditions have been attained. Still other objects will be apparent from the following specification and from, the accompanying drawings, in which drawings- Figure 1 is a general View, partly in section, showing my hydraulic press system as arranged for rapidly testing valves of various sizes at widely varying pressures.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged and central vertical Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

Serial No. 189,621.

section through the inlet valve used for adinitting flu d under pressure into the large sized valve shown in the hydraulic press at the right hand of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through one of the two semiautomatic valves shown at the bottom of Fig. 1.

Fig. 41s an enlarged view, partly in section, showing the dead-beat pressure indicator used with my press and illustrated at the upper right hand corner of Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical sections taken respectively at right angles to each other and on an enlarged scale through the semiautomatic valve shown at the top of the center of Fig. 1.

In the arrangement of Fig. 1,. my hydraulic press system for testing valves is shown as arranged for operation by a low pressure water system in which water (taken, for example, from an ordinary city water supply) is admitted to a pipe 1 controlled initially by a hand valve 2. This pipe 1 is connected through a semi-automatic valve 3 (shown more in detail in Fig. 3 and hereafter more fully described) both with the main supply pipe at of the system and with a lower inlet 5 in the base plate of the hydraulic press. The supply pipe 4 also connects through a riser 6 with another type of semi-automatic valve 7, which latter is shown. more in detail and on a larger scale in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, by means of which valve the cylinder 18 of the hydraulic press may be connected erther with the initial water supply through the pipes 4 and 6 or with water furnished at a considerably higher pressure by the intensifier shown at the left hand of Fig. 1. This intensifier consists essentially of a cylinder 8 connected at its lower end through an inlet pipe 9 with the supply pipe 4, which connection being controlled by a semiautomatic valve 10 of the type of the before mentioned valve 3. When water is thus admitted to the cylinder 8, it raises a piston 11 having a plunger 12 which extends into a compression cylinder 13 of a bore only slightly larger than the said plunger 12. Consequently, owing to the difference in size between the cylinders 8 and 13 and the elements respectively housed by the same, the water enters the cylinder 8 at ordinary city pressure and produces a greatly increased pressure on the water in the cylinder 13, the supply of water for the latter having previously been admitted from the riser 6 through a branch shunting the valve 7 and controlled by a check valve 14. The pressure thus obtained in the intensifier can easily be read from a dial indicator 15 (which latter is preferably of the type shown in Fig. 4) and, with the valve 7 in a certain position, 'the liquid under this higher pressure will then be admitted through the pipes 16 and 17 to the cylinder 18 of the hydraulic press. Within the latter, the water thus supplied under a high pressure -will act downwardly upon the plunger 19, which plunger slides upon the guides 20 of the press and has a hollow bore opening at its upper end into the cylinder 18 and normally closed at its lower end by a sprin valve 21 as hereafter more fully describe The plunger 19 is equipped at its upper end with a slightly enlarged head 22, thus leaving a narrow annular space 23 between this head 22 and the lower head 24 of the cylinder 18. This annular space 23 is connected to the riser pipe 6 through a pipe controlled by a hand valve 25, and is connected by a pipe 26 to a second pressure gage 27 which connection is controlled by a hand valve 28. When the plunger of the press is forced downward by the pressure of the water en tering through the pipe 17 the reat difference in size between the area of the head 22 of the plunger and cross-section of the annular space 23 will cause the .water in the latter to be greatly increased in compression, so that this portion of the press itself acts as an intensifier, and when the cylinder 18 is supplied with water from the cylinder 13 of the intensifier shown at the left hand of Fig. 1 I obtain a compound intensification of the pressure.

In using my system for testing small valves, the latter may be tested with the ordinary city water pressure from the riser pipe 6 by connecting the same to a branch of this pipe as shown in dotted line at 29, this branch being controlled by a hand valve 30 and pressure in the same being read from a gage 31. Likewise, by disconnecting the riser 6 from the city waterpressure (through a valve in this riser, not shown in the drawings) and by releasing the check valve 14 of Fig. 1, a valve positioned as at 29 can be tested with the pressure obtained from the intensifier cylinder 13. Or, by connecting the valve to the pipe 26 at the right hand of the figure (as shown in dotted lines at 32) and admitting city water from the pipe 6 into the press cylinder 18, I can test the valve 32 with a pressure greater than that obtained from the main intensifier. Moreover, by substituting the high pressure water from the cylinder 13 of the main intensifier for the ordinary water pressure as the actuating pressure within the press cylinder 18 I can obtain a still higher pressure in the pipe 26 for testing a valve when in the position shown in dotted lines at 32.

- While my arrangement lends itself readily for the testing of small valves at four widely different pressures, the time required for plugging one end of each of the valves that are to be tested and for screwing the valve itself to the connecting pipe becomes excessive when the attempt is made to test large valves in the same manner. I therefore use the hydraulic press of my system as a means for 'automaticall holding the large valvein position for testlng the latter without plugging one end and without screwing the valve upon any pipe or'other fitting. For this purpose equip both the base plate-of the press and the bottom of the plunger "with cushions 33 adapted to hermetically seal the respective ends of a valve 34 when the latter is clamped between the base plate of the press and the head of the plunger. Each of these cushion-pads 33 has a central perforation, thereby permitting the bore of the valve 34 which is to be tested to communicate either with the inlet bore 5 in the base plate of the press or with the lower outlet of the bore of the plunger 19. The latter outlet is desirably controlled by an automatic valve 21, which is shown more in detail in Fig. 2 of the drawings. This valve havin near its upper end lateral openings 37 hese openings communicate with a bore housing the wings 38 of the valve member which has a head 39 adapted to close the lower end of the said bore. This valve member is normally pressed upward or into its closed position by a spring 40, thereby shutting off the connection through the perfo-. rations 37 to the lower end of the said bore.

In using my press for testing large valves, the valve 34 which is to be tested is placed upon the lower cushion 33 and water from the low pressure supply pipe 1 is admitted through the inlet 5 until the valve 34 is filled. Water at low pressure is then admitted through the pipe 17 into the press cylinder 18 until both the latter and the bore of the plunger 19 are filled. Then the cylinder 18 is connected with the higher pressure from the intensifier cylinder 13, by

suitably manipulating the valve 7 as herewithin the bore of the plunger 19. As soon as the pressure within this plunger exceeds that for which the spring 40 of the valve 21 is adjusted, this valve will be forced open, thereby. operatively' connecting the interior of the valve 34 with the press cylinder 18-. The test pressure may then be increased to the desired amount as indicated by the gage 15. As soon as the test is finished, the press cylinder 18' is disconnected from the high pressure by means of the valve 7 and the inlet 5 is connected to an outlet pipe by means of the valve 3, thereby permitting the water to drain out of the valve 34 and the pressure to fall within the plunger 19 until the valve 21 closes. Then the plunger 19 is raised by opening the valve 25 and admitting water under pressure into the annular chamber 23, after which the valve 34 may readily be removed without unscrewing any fittings whatever.

In practical operation, the amount of liquid drawn under pressure from the in tensifier cylinder 13 may be only a small portion of that contained by this cylinder when the plunger 12 is in its lowermost position as illustrated in Fig. 1. In this case, it is not necessary to return this plunger to its bottom position after "each test, but the plunger is allowed to continue upward during each valve test until it reaches its uppermost normal position. Then it isreturned to its starting point by connecting the pipe 9 to an exhaust pipe and by admitting water under pressure to cylinder 13. This is de' sirably done automatically by means of the valve 10, which valve in turn is controlled by a rocking lever 41 arranged for tripping a lever 42 connected to the valve 10. This rocking lever desirably has a weight 43 at its upper end, while its lower end carries a pair of pins 44 spaced farther apart than the width of the lever 42 and adapted to engage opposite sides of the latter when the weight 43 is swung to positions in which it respectively overhangs opposite sides of the fulcrum of the rocking lever 41. The latter also carries a side arm carrying a pin which moves in the vertical slot of a link 45 con nected by a rod 46 to the piston 11 of the intensifier. When this piston is approach ing the upper end of itstravel, the lower end of the loop 45 will engage the pin on the side of the rocking lever 41, thereby moving the latter until the center of gravity of the weight 43 passes to the left of the fulcrum of the lever, whereupon this weight will swing the lever still farther to the left or in a position oppositely inclined to that of Fig. 1. In doing so, it will rock the lever 42, thereby displacing the right hand valve stem (shown more in detail in Fig. 3) and opening the left hand valve stem. Likewise, when the piston 11 nears the lower end of its travel. the upper end of the loop 45 will engage the pin on the said side arm, thereby returning the rocking lever and the lever 42 to the position of Fig. 1 and again operatively connecting the lower end of the bore of the cylinder 8 with the water supply pipe 4.

For the duplex control valve 10 I preferably use a semi-automatic valve in which the water pressure holds the valve disks firmly seated and in which the connections are made through joints permitting an ample movement of the sliding valve members to allow for wear, after the manner of Fig. 3. This valve includes a body 47 having two parallel bores, which bores respectively connect two pairs of chambers, and having the diagonally opposite chambers 48 and 49- jointly connected to the inlet pipe 9 of the cylinder 8 of the intensifier. The other chambers 50 and 51 are connected respectively to an outlet or exhaust pipe 52 and to the water supply pipe 4 of the system. Extending through the two bores and projecting beyond the valve body. are two slidable valve members 53 and 54, which members are pivoted loosely to the respective ends of across-bar on the operating lever 42, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.. Both of these members carry valve disks adapted to seat downwardly on the partitions separating the respective pairs of chambers, so that one or the other of these disks acts as a support for both valve members and for the lever 42 when the latter is in either of its normal inclined positions, Fig. 3 being taken at the moment when the lever 42 is in its medial position while the rocking arm 41 is moving this lever. With the lever 42 in the position of Fig. 1, the valve stem 54 will be raised, thereby connecting the chambers 49 and 51 and hence connecting the cylinder 8 with the water supply pipe 4 (while the other valve member shuts off the connection between the cylinder and the exhaust pipe 52) thus admitting water at low pressure to the larger cylinder of the primary intensifier Withthe lever 42 tilted to the opposite position (which would be to the right in Fig. 1, though not shown in the drawing), the valve member 54 would be seated, thus disconnecting the water supply from the cylinder 8, while the member 53 would be raised and would connect the cylinder 8 with the exhaust pipe 52. Hence the weight of the plunger 12 and head 11 would cause these to descend and force the water out of the cylinder 8, in doing which the plunger will create a suction in the smaller cylinder 13, opening the check valve 14 and admitting water to the cylinder 13 from the riser pipe 6. When the plunger nears the lowermost end of its stroke, the connecting members 46 and 45 trip the rocker arm 41 and hence tilt the lever 42 to an oppositely inclined position, thereby restoring the cylinder connection to the water supply pipe 4. Then the first upward movement of the plunger 12 will create a pressure closing the check valve 14 and permitting the subsequent increase in pressure to be expended in the press cylilpder 18 and the parts associated therewit For rapidly controlling the connections to the cylinder 18 without'requiring expert attendance or risking a breakage of parts through erroneous manipulations, I providethe semi-automatic valve 7, shown in sectional views in Figs. 5 and 6. This has a body with three parallel and normally vertical bores, each of which connects two chambers and each of which has a valve stem slidably mounted in the part of the bore connected with its two chambers. The latter include one upper chamber and two lower chambers 56- and 57 all continuously connected through the pipe 17 to the main cylinder of the hydraulic press, another upper chamber 58 connected to an outlet pipe 59, a third upper chamber 60 connected by a pipe 61 to an auxiliary high pressure fluid supply, and a third lower chamber 62 connected to the pipe 16 leading from the intensifier. The movable valve members 63 and 64 controlling the connections to the chambers 55 and 56 both have downwardly seating disks and both extend upward beyond the valve body, being pivotally connected above the latter to a rocker arm 65 pivoted on a lug 66. This lug also has a weighted arm 67 pivoted to it, so that by flopping this arm to one side or the other (as shown respectively in full and in dotted lines in Fig. 5) the rocker arm 65 may be tilted to seat and unseat the disks on the valve members 63 and 64 respectively, and vice versa.

With the weighted arm 67 in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5, the valve member 63 is forced to its closure position, there'- by shutting off the entrance pipe 16, while the press cylinder is connected through the companion valve member with the outlet pipe 59. Upon moving the weighted arm 67 to the other position (as per dotted lines), the connection to the outlet 59 is shut off, while that between the inlet pipe 16 and the cylinder is opened along side the wings of the valve member 63. Water from the intensifier will then enter the cylinder 19 of the hydraulic press and will also enter the lower chamber 57 of the third or odd bore in the valve body. This bore contains a spring pressed valve 68 controlling the connection between the press inlet 17 and an auxiliary feed pipe 61 leading to another intensifier or equivalent pump, the latter not being shown in the drawings but arranged for supplying water through the pipe 61 at a still higher pressure than that afforded by the intensifier 13 through the pipe 16. As soon as the pressure in the press cylinder (and hence that in the chamber 57) exceeds that for which the spring 69 of the valve member 68 is adjusted, the latter will be moved downwardly, thus connecting the press cylinder with the extra high pressure 1 feed pipe 61. At the same time, this entering high pressure, being greater than that to the feed pipe 61. For example, 'with40 supplied by the pipe 16 to the chamber 62, will force the valve member 63 downwardly, thus disconnecting the supply pipe 16 from the press. Then the pressure in the press cylinderand hence in the valve 34 may be raised to any desired amount up to that available in the feed pipe 61, or may be held at any intermediate point by moving a lever 70 and thereby causing a plunger 71 to seat the valve member 68 against the downward pressure of the water from the pipe 61. After the test, a reducing of the pressure in the press cylinder until it nolonger overbalances that in the chamber 62 will enable the spring 69 to return the valve member 68 to its normal closure position, thereby effectively disconnecting the auxiliary high pressure supply from the system.

From the above it will be evident that with very little manipulation I can obtain any desired pressure within.three distinct ranges, namely that of the initial water supply, that of the main intensifier, and that of the auxiliary intensifier or the like connected pounds of city water pressure in the pipe 4 of a given press arrangement, I have been able to obtain 400 lbs. in very short time from the intensifier cylinder 13, 2,000 lbs.

from an auxiliary intensifier connected to the feed pipe 61, and 4,000 lbs. from the annular chamber 23. Likewise, by increasing the initial pressure, the others may be increased correspondingly. Moreover, by simply manipulating the stop lever 70 (which in practice is desirably connected to a treadle not shown in the drawings) the operator can readily hold the cylinder pressure at the desired point even when testing valves at quite high pressures, thus insuring the dependability of the test. For this purpose, it is important that the attained pressure he read from a substantially dead-beat gage, as the ordinary Bourdon type would indicate such violent fluctuations as to be misleading unless considerable time was allowed for the needle to come to rest My invention therefore includes as an important element the novel type of pressure gage shown in a de' sirable embodiment in Fig. 4.

This gage comprises a casing 71 containing the usual dial 72 and supported by a sleeve 7 3 threaded upon a perforated cap 74. This cap in turn is threaded upon a tubular stem 75 which is threaded at its lower end 120 for connection to a pipe or the like. The stem 75 houses a plunger 76 which acts as a piston and can be moved against the pressure of fiuid entering the bore 77 of the stem, thereby moving a thrust rod 78 which in 126 turn engages a rack member 79 geared to the indicating pointer of the gage. This upward movement of the piston is resisted by a spring 80 hearing at its upper end against the cap 74, the dial being graduated accord- 180 ingly. By thus using a direct thrust action against a simple and slidably mounted piston and by using only a single and massive spring, I avoid the oscillations or surges heretofore common in pressure gages; and particularly avoid the pendulum action of the curved tubes in Bourdon type gages, which pendulated movement causes so violent a movement of the indicator as to make such a gage unsuited for purposes like that of the hydraulic press system here described.

Moreover, by slmply unscrewing the cap 74 i from the tubular stem 75, the piston or plunger 76, the thrust rod 78 and the spring 80 may all be removed for inspection or cleaning, this being particularly easy since the rod 7 8 is merely socketed at its ends in the plunger and the rack rod spaced by it. So also, in case of cold Weather, any damage that might be caused by a freezing of the liquid will be confined to the tubular stem 75, leaving all of the delicate parts of the gage proof against such damage.

However, while I have pictured and described the various novel and important features of my invention in a desirable arrangement in which they cooperate to afford advantages not otherwise obtainable, I do not wish to be limited to the employment of each part in this particular connection or for the purpose here described. For example, my compound intensifying system can be used equally well for testing and graduating pressure gages, for testing pipes, and many other purposes. Likewlse, other fluids (such as air) may be substitutedfor water and other modifications of my automatic valves and intensifier-reversing mechanism might be employed. So also, the intensifying system and my simple arrangement for afl'or ing pressures. of wide range might be used for other purposes, as in veneer presses, while the pressure gages and the two types of semi-automatic valves could likewise be employed to advantages in many other connections. Moreover, I do not wish to be limited to the particular details of arrangement or construction of any of the constitucut elements of the hydraulic ress and valve testing system here disclose it being obvious that the same might be modified in many ways Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a hydraulic apparatus for testing a valve or the like having two openings, means for intensifying the initially available hydraulic pressure, means for connecting the valve through one of its openings to the initially available hydraulic pressure,

and means operated by the intensified hyunder draulic pressure for connecting the valve to the latter through its other opening.

2. In mechanism for testing a hollow valve or the like, means operable by fluid under high pressure from one source for clamping the valve and hermetically closing openings of the.latter, means for admitting fluid at relatively low pressure from another source through one of said openings, and means operable by the pressure of the fluid from the first named source for admitting the high pressure fluid through another of the valve openings.

3. In a Valve-testing press, a pair of relatively movable plates arranged for receivg a valve between them with one valve opening facing each plate, a gasket between the valve and each plate, means for filling the valve with fluid, separate means operated by fluid under high pressure for relatively moving the said plates to clamp the valve and the gaskets therebetween, and means responsive to the pressure of the high pressure fluid for thereafter admitting the latter to the bore of the valve.

4. In a hydraulic press, a cylinder, a hollow plunger opening at one end into the cylinder and having its other end disposed for engaging and forming a fluid-tight connection to the open end of an object to be tested, and a valve controlling an opening at said other end of the plunger.

5. In a hydraulic press, a cylinder, a hollow plunger having its bore continuously connected to the bore of the cylinder and having an aperture at its outer end, the said plunger being adapted to engage the open end of an object to be tested so as to form a fluid-tight connection thereto, and spring pressedmeans normally closing the same.

6. In a hydraulic press as per claim 5, spring pressed aperture-closing means adapted to be opened by a predetermined pressure within the cylinder.

7 In a hydraulic press, a cylinder, a ho]- low plunger arranged to be moved by the pressure of liquid within the cylinder to force the same against the open end of an object Which is to be tested, and means actuated by the said pressure for permitting liquid to pass entirely through the bore of the hollow lunger.

8. In mec anism for testing a hollow valve or the like, means operable by fluid ressure for clamping the valve and hermetically closing openings in the latter, and means operable by the fluid for admittin the latter to the bore of the valve.

igned at Chicago, September first,'1917.

FRANK HENNEBGHLE. 

